Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Summary: Mrs. Cole has had enough. The Demon has to go and where else but the Home for Troubled Children. There, Tom meets Henry Isherwood. His jailmate.
Warnings: Eventual Slash *wink wink*. Explicit (?) Gore, Child Abuse, Animal Death, Excessive Drama and Evil-ish Nuns/Priests.
The following content is not meant to offend people of Catholic religion, but if it does, I apologize. Exorcisms in the early '19 century can be very frightening and the exorcism in this one is a by-product of unchartered fear, so if you think its full of blood...Well, fear makes people do stupid things, this is one of them. And besides, in this one, I don't think its an exorcism as much as it is murder. So, if this isn't your cup of tea, please don't read. This is merely fiction. I will not be held responsible for future tantrums and tears if you continue on. Don't come crying to me if your stomach couldn't take it.
Children of War
CH. 01 - A Demon Spawned
There was a deadly stillness in the air as an eerie breeze resonated through Little Hangleton, freezing animals and humans alike. As if to respond, the anguished howling of a child broke the stillness in the atmosphere, causing many individuals to shudder while nuns and priests prayed fervently to vanish the slowly rising malign tenseness that was creeping within them to clutch their souls in a vice-like grip.
"Ah!" The child cried as it clung desperately on the arms of the chair he was tied upon as priests and nuns continued to chant verses from the Bible, tightly holding their rosaries and shaking their bodies as if they were dancing a mad dance around a demon.
"Be gone, Demon! Your kind is not welcome here, so cease the mocking howls from the boy's mouth!" An elder priests spats as he began to sprinkle holy water on the boy who continued to cry louder as the procession went on.
Mrs. Cole shivered as she heard Tom's bloodcurdling screams of terror and helplessness. She wondered whether this ritual-exorcism would be able to cure Tom of his freakishness, of his unnatural abilities that only brought with them sorrow and hatred. Mrs. Cole is the matron of St. Wools Orphanage and it was her duty to raise the children, to discipline them. And who else but a woman guided by their Lord, one whose methods are known to be effective in child rearing?
Yet, as she listened to the cries of a young boy she once held with tender hands, only to be burned later on, she was nearly convinced she had made a mistake of sending him in for exorcism for what seemed like the fourth time. Stop that! A livid voice in her head said, the demon is working its evil magics to control your mind and to save itself from being killed, no demon wants to be exorcised, it said logically.
At that, anger rushed through her veins and she tightened her hold on the rosary, she started praying louder as anger fuelled her with the desire to cleanse herself and everyone the demon had come across. She agreed to come and watch the exorcism just to watch the demon suffer before its life sparked dimly in death, but instead she had nearly been controlled just by thinking of the boy!
As the others heard her loud praying, they too prayed determinedly louder to finally extinguish the parasite that resides in the town but will reside no longer. She watched with thinly hidden terrified fascination as few priests came in through the back door whilst holding a black knife with a gold handle.
They gathered round a black circular bowl filled with intricate white carvings of angels' wings surrounding a heart whose crown sparkled a holy light. Within it, lay angry boiling water mixed with unknown herbs and other liquids, poisonous or otherwise, burning and spitting sparks of heat as smoke rose in a lazy curl before disappearing completely.
The head priest, Ronan went forward and reverently raised the knife, gazing at it with awed eyes. He turned his head to look at the boy who quieted upon seeing the dagger. "This, little demon is a weapon of righteousness. It is a weapon to be used in exorcising misbehaving other-worlders like you!" He chuckled as he saw Tom freeze in fear. "Don't worry, soon you will be saved boy, with the power of the Lord!" He yelled in triumph as he faces the bowl of turbulent, boiling water and plunges the dagger swiftly under the angry liquid before quickly pulling it out. A splash of fierce liquid hit the flimsy wood of Tom's chair and it burned the leg slightly with a sizzle; further increasing the boy - demon's - struggles for freedom.
The other priests circle Tom and the Head Priest, forming a spine-chilling image as they raised their silver crosses and rhythmically sprinkled sweet smelling holy water at him. Tom gave a timid glare at Ronan and struggled twice as much with his bonds, then he ceased as Ronan took a step forward and the demon started growling and hissing under his breath.
Seeing this, the priests' eyes filled with mad ire as they quickly advanced the boy turned demon, the boy who hissed like a wrathful serpent.
"Die demon! Rot with your kind in hell!" With a vengeful yell, Head Priest Ronan slashed blindly onto Tom's chest and the boy shrieked as burning pain exploded in his thorax.
Mrs. Cole stared at the swiftly pooling blood on the floor, unwilling to stare at her charge who she was sure was staring at her with a betrayed gaze when she was sure she did nothing wrong to invoke his ire.
Guilt clawed at her stomach and she tried to swallow the sudden lump in her throat. Perhaps, she had been wrong to do this — whatever this was, was not the work of their Lord. It was evil, pure blind anger.
She looked up as a priest suddenly lurched backward and raised his cross weakly at something, filling her with horrid dread. She timidly followed the fear-stricken priest's gaze and stared aghast at the sight.
The boy was being cradled by a medium sized snake as it hissed dark promises in his ear before curling in a vengeful 's' of angered snakes. It's dark dune scales glinted maliciously in the flickering glow of the candles as an impossible breeze swept through them and the snake lunged, digging it's fangs at the priest who released a shrill yelp of pain as he shrunk into a tight ball, shuddering and his eyes open in a silent scream before he stilled. Dead.
Dozen screams of indignation filled the chamber as the snake continued to strike fiercely at the approaching priests. Suddenly, a terrified nun shrieked as the snake faced her, it's eyes lighting up with malice and the promise of pain it sought to deliver; the snake danced elegantly, swaying with an unheard tune before it lunged with its fangs bared to strike the woman.
Antecedent, the woman beside the other nun suddenly raised a gun from her dress and pointed it shakily at the snake; she sloppily shot it and accidentally diverted its attention to her. Mrs. Cole wondered how a nun came upon such a sinful weapon.
"That's right," the other nun declared with a tremor of uncertainty in her voice as it continued to stare at her unnervingly, "I attacked you, you demonic snake! And I shall be your end!" She said as her voice slowly rose into a soprano, causing the snake to hiss spitefully afore rearing it's head back, poised to attack.
The nun shot quickly and the snake dodged the bullet as it grazed it's scales slightly; the nun squeaked in alarm as she held the gun, frightfully shooting while her fear rose to a crescendo, rising to alarming heights as she continued to shoot and the snake quickly come forward.
The woman released a shrill yelp as she came face to face with the snake, it's fangs bared in twisted delight and eyes positively gleaming with unsuppressed malicious amusement before it's body shot forward, biting the vein in her ankle.
Mrs. Cole gasped and hastened to help the trembling woman when said nun shot a final bullet, straight through the snake's skull, while she herself stilled, lifeless. Then the snake froze, going limp on the floor with its eyes blanked by Death and the priests and nuns rejoiced, their voices a cacophony of glee-filled triumph against their beaten foe.
Suddenly, a loud hiss cut through them and they froze in fear, the temperature dropped rapidly as their breaths came out in short, frenzied puffs. They slowly turned around only to freeze in petrifaction, their blood frozen to absolute zero, as brittle as chipped wood.
The child — no, demon, stood before them. His face, shadowed by his hair, falling over his face like a dark veil with his brown almost black eyes shone a furious crimson. Some of the priests and nuns wet themselves in fear as the direness of the situation dawned on their conscious. They started backing away, some freezing, shuddering like mad as their eyes swivelled around the room. Searching, searching for a possible way out.
There was none. Mrs. Cole swallowed as a boulder dropped in her stomach and she stared at the boy in horror as he brandished something from the floor, fallen and cold from abandon.
He held the fallen knife —the one used to carve him long ago and nearly kill him just a moment afore— in his right hand, clenching and unclenching in perturbed madness; sweat gathered on his brow, slowly slipping down his neck and under his torn and bloodied shirt that showed his slowly healing laceration.
Mrs. Cole and the other nuns were now juddering in absolute fear, hugging them close whilst some dropped on the floor and started rocking themselves while whispering brokenly in silence. The priests stood with faux bravado as some of them bowed in total submission, frightened of their impending but sure death.
They jerked back as Tom took slow steps forward and others started bawling, crying for mercy they didn't dare give to the boy they almost killed and others just stared blankly as tears as well as snot cascaded down their face alike a waterfalls' insurgence of water. To their horror, Tom stopped and raised his face slowly before coming to a stop in front of Mrs. Cole who stood, petrified in sudden intuition.
"You won't do it," she said more confidently than she felt, "would you, Tom?" She licked her chapped lips uncertainly as she stared down at her once-charge.
The boy suddenly gave a chilling smile, alarming Mrs. Cole for its tauntingly childish appearance before he turned and raised both arms at the others whilst looking down on them imperiously; his gaze crushing each and every one of them into a mind-numbing statuesque petrifaction as silence wreathe around them adoringly. He then mumbled something incomprehensible and Mrs. Cole struggled to understand.
"What?" She asked and stilled in alarm whilst staring at Tom whose face was stretched in a menacing grin.
"Watch me."
Out of nowhere, red suddenly filled her vision and she opened her eyes —when had she closed them? — Then she screamed so loud it almost burst her own eardrums.
A man —priest, was standing shakily, trying to grasp something that wasn't there, searching and shuddering as his blood gurgled noisily. But that wasn't what scared her, it was that he was — was, oh god... headless.
The knife lay, a meter behind the beheaded priest, heavy with cold blood.
The man's neck was spitting and raining crimson projectiles before he fell down on his knees, onto the ground as his blood formed a puddle of sloshing blood. The others were covered from head to toe in the man's life liquid and their eyes were wild with fear whilst others started vomiting in front of them.
Fear.
Fear. Blood. Dead.
Fear. Blood. Dead. Gone. Demon. His arms, once again, rose in front of them.
What? No! Mrs. Cole tried to stand up but a crushing force pushed her down flat on the ground, and she watched with tear-laden eyes as blood continued to be spilt. Then Tom laughed, laugh alike bells from their church which was just so... wrong.
Hysterically, a nun scrambled to him, grasping and pulling desperately on his trousers for mercy.
Mercy he did not receive and neither will they.
Abruptly, he raised his hand and poised it near her face as if to caress. Then it moved to slap her but stopped, inches, before her cheeks flushed with tears. To Mrs. Cole and the other's horror, her spine snapped loudly in the din of cries around them as if an invisible force had grasped her neck and broke it irrevocably. Her head then rolled on the ground afore stopping on Mother Clarissa's blood soaked dress. Said nun blankly stared with dead eyes and then released a shrill scream befitting of a harpy, alarming the others to cry louder than ever.
"H-how, y-you-" Mrs. Cole began as she dropped down her knees in utter loss of composure.
"Don't you dare touch me." Tom spat spitefully, his eyes whirling with uncontrolled madness that was his but somehow isn't, and the bloodbath commenced once more. Soon enough, dismembered organs lay scattered in the chamber with Tom and Mrs. Cole in the midst of it.
Tom stood straight-back before he suddenly swayed on his feet, stumbling and collapsing on the floor in a dead faint; splashing whatever liquids overlay the once pristine floors. Mrs. Cole slowly stood up, padding towards Tom and staring at him in ill-concealed anger as well as disgust.
She made up her mind then. She won't kill him, no. She'll just leave him in a place he held with contempt.
Where else but the Home for Troubled Children? She didn't dare hope they'd be able to beat the freakishness out of him, but perhaps they'll be left to curb his violent tendencies to something more... worthwhile.
She then carried him uncaring and jostling him when she moved a bit jerkily, setting out to prepare her burden's farewell.
And that's a wrap! For those who read this story, thank you! Sorry for the blood and all but when I wrote this I was in emo-mode. Also, there are some things you need to know...
First, this story will be a 'slow-updates' one. Second, I have no beta so if you see any mistakes, that's all on me. Third, my mind is constantly bombarded by plot-bunnies so bear with me if I don't update this story as much as you expect. And finally, English is not my native language so don't judge me.
Oh, and yeah, the plot is mine, so no plagiarizing people!
TBC...